Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Baotou

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
Learn more

Baotou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Baotou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seoul and in Baotou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $768 in Baotou, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Baotou $768

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,248 in Baotou, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Baotou $1,248

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,728 in Baotou, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Baotou $1,728

Seoul costs about 135% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Baotou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$5.26 ¥35.18

73.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.87 ¥153

191.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$9.50 ¥63.5

-21.16%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.78 ¥18.56

50.72%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.47 ¥3.17

229.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.31 ¥2.07

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.13 ¥7.59

222.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.91 ¥12.77

221.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.87 ¥12.49

12.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.59 ¥10.65

91.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.65 ¥4.35

547.69%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$2.48 ¥16.55

42.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.77 ¥92.1

30.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.87 ¥25.86

167.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$12.26 ¥82.0

115.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.90 ¥12.70

316.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.33 ¥8.87

158.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.50 ¥10.01

276.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.27 ¥8.52

404.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.75 ¥5.01

394.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.01 ¥6.76

149.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.58 ¥3.88

394.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.59 ¥3.93

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.28 ¥28.59

-21.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$10.83 ¥72.4

72.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.86 ¥5.77

165.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.55 ¥10.34

113.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.31 ¥2.08

264.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$16.41 ¥110

184.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.02 ¥6.85

245.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.35 ¥2.35

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.09 ¥47.38

23.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.16 ¥7.77

25.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$21.1K ¥141.2K

40.45%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$20.1K ¥134.6K

40.04%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$211 ₩280.4K

$58.0 ¥388

263.30%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$8.15 ¥54.5

333.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$9.65 ¥64.5

113.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$47.39 ¥317

21.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.49 ¥104

4.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.08 ¥34.00

123.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$371 ¥2,483

429.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$19.7K ¥131.8K

15.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$42.80 ¥286

34.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$36.08 ¥241

-8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$73.6 ¥492

-4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$88.4 ¥591

-4.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$263 ¥1,758

233.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$173 ¥1,154

261.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$605 ¥4,042

315.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$380 ¥2,543

238.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,121 ¥20.9K

873.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,040 ¥13.6K

482.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$666 ¥4,454

440.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.36

21.43%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Baotou

$173 22.5% 72.3% $451

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Baotou

$217 28.3% 54.7% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 71.6% $191

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 37.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Baotou

$108 14.1% 1.7% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Baotou

$58 7.5% 28.5% $23

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Baotou

$20 2.7% 64.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $263 in Baotou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 440% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $23.00 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $217 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,709,378

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Baotou 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Baotou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,804 in Seoul, $768 in Baotou – roughly 135% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $1,153 in Baotou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baotou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul and $23.00 in Baotou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Baotou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.